Hello Lauren Ito and Kate Rushton,
Thank you for the challenge brief.
I am glad I noticed the "Surprise Us" Idea option.
Do you think it is relevant that the MacAurthur foundation seems unaware how on one hand MacAurther supports initiatives like "Let's fundamentally rethink the way we make, use and re-use plastics so that they don’t become waste in the first place", when on the other hand by promoting HarvestPlus biofortified grain without addressing the lack of adequate grain storage MacAurther promotes needless plastic waste (not to mention aflatoxin <http://www.agrilinks.org/aflatoxin>), by ignoring already available fundamental solutions that eliminate non-recyclable small-format and large format plastic waste.
For example, even though it might seem large packaging items like the plastic bags used to store surplus grain in Africa are already widely recycled,
- in Africa small format and large plastic containers are not recycled, they are burned or left to decompose everywhere.
- everywhere but Australia, the idea that grain storage can be as dynamic as the problems it solves is new and unique.
- the solution is human centered poised to make grain more nutritious and lives spent doing tedious primary processing easier.
- the solution can be accelerated, cost-effectively with leases and scaled up and down to control real local problems on the ground like environmental and food degradation.

Comments and suggestions welcome,
William

Hello Lauren Ito and Kate Rushton,
Thank you for the challenge brief.
I am glad I noticed the "Surprise Us" Idea option.
Do you think it is relevant that the MacAurthur foundation seems unaware how on one hand MacAurther supports initiatives like "Let's fundamentally rethink the way we make, use and re-use plastics so that they don’t become waste in the first place", when on the other hand by promoting HarvestPlus biofortified grain without addressing the lack of adequate grain storage MacAurther promotes needless plastic waste (not to mention aflatoxin <http://www.agrilinks.org/aflatoxin>), by ignoring already available fundamental solutions that eliminate non-recyclable small-format and large format plastic waste.
For example, even though it might seem large packaging items like the plastic bags used to store surplus grain in Africa are already widely recycled,
- in Africa small format and large plastic containers are not recycled, they are burned or left to decompose everywhere.
- everywhere but Australia, the idea that grain storage can be as dynamic as the problems it solves is new and unique.
- the solution is human centered poised to make grain more nutritious and lives spent doing tedious primary processing easier.
- the solution can be accelerated, cost-effectively with leases and scaled up and down to control real local problems on the ground like environmental and food degradation.

Comments and suggestions welcome,
William

Hello Kate Rushton,
Thank you for helping me clarify how cable ties (small format plastic) is discarded when used to store surplus grain in Africa. I have updated "Removing Plastic from Surplus Grain across Africa with Mobile Utility Storage" with pictures and text.
For example, if the MacArthur foundation awards HarvestPlus a single $100 million grant, biofortified grains would be stored in plastic as other more sustainable systems and significant Postharvest loss have been ignored. HarvestPlus, proposes that 100 million people will have access to bio-fortified food by 2030. However, if African Postharvest and input loss like aflatoxin estimates are correct adequate storage does not exist.
The HarvestPlus proposal lists mere sealed plastic sacks (1m * 1m) that require cable ties and triple bagging for every approximately 50 kg of grain. Cable ties are one-time use and plastic bags wears during daily opening and closing not to mention chewing rats and insects that bore in and bags must be replaced every 2 - 3 seasons. For discussion, if each person consumes one 50 kg of grain per season, it would mean between +300 and 150 million cable ties (small format plastic) 150 and 75 million (150,000 - 75,000 sq. hectares) plastic bags (large format plastic) would be discarded or need recycling.
Questions and comments welcome.
Regards,
Willliam